Reduction retorts



Jan. 31, 1961 v P. E. GU'MMESON 2,96 ,969

REDUCTION QI'RETOR'I'S Filed Aug. 19, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1

PULGML m b Pm .1 w w Jan. 31, 1961 Filed Aug. 19, 1955 P. E. GUMMESON REDUCTION RETORTS Fig. 2

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O REDUCTION R-E'IORTS Per Egon Gummeson, Hoganas, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Hiigiinasnetoder, Hoganas, Sweden Filed Aug. 19, 1955, Ser. No. 529,546

1 Claim. (Cl. 266-24) As containers for the reduction of oxidic ores with solid reduction agents, saggers or retorts of ceramic material hitherto have been used. The saggers as a rule have have been provided with plane circular bottoms and cylindrical walls. It has also been tried to provide the sagger with an extension or coupling box at the upper end for making possible the stacking of two or more saggers one upon the other. When utilizing such saggers, however, it has turned out that during heating and cooling cracks very often occur in the zone between the wall and the bottom and the coupling box respectively. In such processes where these s aggers have been utilized, the consumption of saggers has been rather heavy, only due to this cause.

Another disadvantage with the previously utilized saggers consists in the fact that stacks of several saggers placed one upon the other are not stable, and that it has not been possible in a simple way to interconnect several such stacks placed one beside the other in order to increase the stability.

The present invention has the purpose to avoid the above mentioned difficulties. The invention relates to a reduction retort consisting of at least two substantially cylindrical tubes of ceramic material, placed one upon the other, these tubes being interconnected by means of a separate ring, made from a heat resistant material, e.g. a ceramic material, steel, or metal, the cross section of which has the form of a lying T with an inner diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the cylindrical tubes. The rings are suitably provided with means for interconnecting rings abutting each other when several retorts are placed beside each other. Such devices can suitably consist of holes in the rings, in which to insert a steel pin or a lock.

In the following the invention is to be described more in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the new saggers and the manner in which the same can be placed on a tunnel furnace car.

On the drawings- Fig. 1 illustrates from the side a tunnel furnace car, on which a number of retorts are placed, and

Fig. 2 from above the interconnection of the different retorts.

In Fig. 1 V designates the car and U the wall of the furnace. Reference 2 designates saggers or tubes of ceramic material, which in the illustrated embodiment are placed in four rows with four tubes placed one upon the other. Rings 4 are provided between the tubes as well as below the bottom tube and upon the uppermost tube. These upper rings can be utilized as holders for a cover.

Fig. 2 illustrates that the rings 4 are provided with holes, 6, by means of which two abutting rings, belong.- ing to difierent retorts, may be interconnected by means of a locking device in the form of clamp 8. In the illustrated embodiment the stacks of retorts are placed in a square pattern. The rings as illustrated can be designed with octagonal circumference, whereby two abutting rings will contact each other along a surface. Of course the stacks can also be placed in a triangular pattern in order to save space, whereby the outer surface of the rings are suitably given a hexagonal design.

One advantage with the invention is that the manufacture of the separate saggers as well as of the assembled retorts is greatly simplified. The saggers become stronger. More saggers can very simply be stacked upon each other to form a retort, and more such retorts can be interconnected in a very simple way to form a stable structure.

A further advantage is that when a sagger or ring is damaged, it is much cheaper to replace the same by a new one than to complete with a whole new sagger according to the older construction.

What I claim is:

A reduction retort consisting of at least two substantially cylindrical ceramic tubes of the same size, placed one upon the other end to end, the tubes being interconnected by means of a heat resistant ring the cross section of which has the form of a lying Twith an inner diameter equal to the inner diameter of the cylindrical ceramic tubes, said retort comprising holes in said ring and clamps to be inserted in said holes for interconnecting two retorts placed beside each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

